Grand Master Oogway
Grand Master Oogway (Chinese for "Tortoise") was an elderly Galápagos tortoise known to have been the previous senior headmaster of the Jade Palace and the founder of Kung Fu itself.1 Not much is revealed about Grand Master Oogway's past life, although in one of the Kung Fu Panda Legends of Awesomeness episodes it is revealed that the Jade Palace was built to honor him. However, it is implied that he was probably full of questions as a youth, which led to his departure from his home in the Galápagos Islands on a journey of discovery almost a thousand years ago, traveling all around the world and visiting every country until he arrived in China. Oogway stood on a hill overlooking the land that would later become known as the Valley of Peace and knew that he had found the place he would call home for the rest of his life. In the first film, Oogway is shown to be highly venerated for his wisdom, knowledge and experience, and considered a sage. It is also apparent that he seemed to be reckoned as a god in the art of Kung Fu, as he was greatly respected by Shifu, the Furious Five, Po, the entire Valley of Peace, and all of China. He is wise and possesses considerable physical skill. He is the only one that Tai Lung could not defeat, instantly paralyzing him. His selection of Po as the Dragon Warrior was strongly doubted by all, especially Po himself, but he stood by his decision, which proved to be the correct one. After convincing Shifu to train Po, Oogway ascended to the Spirit Realm in the midst of dozens of peach blossom petals floating away in the cold night breeze as he disappeared. Among all the proverbs he recites, his most recurring is "There are no accidents." In the second film, Oogway makes a cameo taking in place of the moon boy in the DreamWorks logo, and during a flashback wherein Po recounts all the major happenings of his life, including the day he was chosen as the Dragon Warrior. In the accompanying film Secrets of the Masters, it is revealed that Oogway was responsible for uniting the masters Thundering Rhino, Storming Ox, and Croc for the first time. After observing the trio as dishonorable streetfighters and learning of the return of the evil Wu Sisters, Oogway led them on a quest to defeat the villains, leading to the trio's reformation and their part in forming the Masters Council. In the third film, it is revealed that 500 years ago, Oogway was once best friends and brothers-in-arms with a powerful general named Kai. When Oogway was badly wounded in an ambush, Kai carried him to a hidden Panda village where the pandas healed him through use of chi, later teaching him to use it as well. However, Kai wanted this power all to himself and tried to take the chi of the pandas, forcing Oogway to confront him. After a long and fierce battle, Oogway banished Kai to the Spirit Realm. Sometime after Oogway ascended there, Kai challenges him to a rematch, defeating him and using his chi to return to the mortal realm. The vengeful Kai then attempts to take the chi from everyone in China. After Kai is destroyed by Po in the Spirit Realm, Oogway reveals that he specifically chose Po as the Dragon Warrior due to his being a descendant of the pandas who helped him long ago in addition to being a worthy successor to carry on his legacy and alerted Li Shan (Po's biological father) that Po was alive. Oogway then tells Po that he is now a master of chi, giving him a jade staff he wielded previously, and tells him that if he wishes he can return to the mortal realm. More of Grand Master Oogway's past was revealed in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness. It was shown that Grand Master Oogway broke the Valley of Peace's citizens from Scorpion's hypnosis, fended off his treacherous student Fenghuang, saved the valley from evil demons and their leader Ke-Pa, chose Shifu to run the Jade Palace instead of Junjie, and imprisoned Master Ding in Mugu Mountain after separating him from his Spirit Orbs. In "Ghost of Oogway," Junjie assumed the form of Oogway to trick Po and the Furious Five into letting their guard down. Shifu later assumed the form of the ghost of Grand Master Oogway to fool Junjie, who had also studied under Oogway in his youth. Following Junjie's defeat, Shifu stated to Po that he knew Junjie was impersonating Grand Master Oogway because the real Grand Master Oogway never said "awesome." In the episode's final scene, it was shown that the real ghost of Grand Master Oogway was watching the battle from the peach tree and stated "awesome" before ascending back to the heavens. Oogway also battled alongside the previous incarnation of the Furious Five whose membership included Shifu and Fenghuang, an evil owl who betrayed the group and only fled because Oogway proved more than a match for her. Oogway and the five also battled such villains as Master Ding, a corrupt Kung Fu master with great mental powers. In the two part-episode "Enter the Dragon" it was revealed that Oogway once battled a horde of demons led by the evil Ke-Pa using the Hero's Chi, a power granted to only one Kung Fu Master per generation. Oogway managed to seal most of the demons away in a vault but was left powerless against Ke-Pa, until his powers were restored by the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. Trapping Ke-Pa in the form of an aged pig, Oogway built the Jade Palace atop the vault containing the other demons to prevent them from escaping in the future. After he passed on, the Hero's Chi passed to Po, who would later use it to battle the demons again and destroy Ke-Pa permanently. Category:People Category:Toons Category:Animals Category:Creatures Category:Reptiles